Sylvia Jeffreys was recently announced as Georgie Gardner‘s replacement on The Today Show, and if you look carefully, you’ll notice a crucial detail: she’s not a dude.
Turns out that wasn’t an accident. Channel Nine have a strategy for closing the ratings gap with arch-rivals Sunrise, and it involves replacing the program’s men, with the exception of Karl Stefanovic, with women. First out the door will be sports anchor Ben Fordham, who’ll be replaced by either Ten’s Mel McLaughlin, Fox Sports’ Lee Furlong or the ABC’s Stephanie Brantz, according to the Sunday Telegraph.
There’s also reports entertainment editor Richard Wilkins and weatherman Steve Jacobs will move on soon and be replaced by women.
It’s a tactic that’s worked well for Sunrise, which balances out insufferable buffoon David Koch with co-hosts Samantha Armytage and Natalie Barr and recently replaced weatherman Grant Denyer with Edwina Bartholomew. For now, Sunrise leads in the ratings, but with a revamped, less blokey line-up that also includes 0% Koch, it’s easy to imagine Nine turning that around.
Image via Lisa Maree Williams via Getty Images.
